Signaling device.



J. WCLFSON.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1916.

3,226,429., Patented May 15, 1917.

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4 TTOR/VEY g9 Specification of Letters 33 Application filed l To 0153 071 1 9721 it may eateries-n:

"Be it known that ii, JACOB i i cruises, e citizen of the 'ilnited States, resident of New York, borough-cf Brooklyn, countv of Kings, and of New York, have invented e certain new and useful improve meet in Signeling Devices, of Which the following is it full, elem, and exact speei iiostion. I

This invention. more particularly to a class of devicesdspted to be used in conjunction vehicles. I i

invention has for its object primarily to provide it signaling device designed to be applied to automobile or other vehicleito indicate the direction. in which the vehicle will be guided when changing its forward course while treveling thereby tending to avoid eccicents by permitting the persons in a vehicle which may be at the year to discern the course the front vehicle is taking The invention consists essentially of an element adopted to be en T1 vehicle so as to be adjusted extensibly and contrectibly in alternate longitndinal directions to extend laterally beyond the vehicle, and on this element is :1

signal which is swung in the are of e. circle from c folded position on the element when contracted to a. position. progecting out- :vvsrdly in elineznent with the element. when extenslbly ad usted for being" observed at the reel of the vehicle.

Other objects of the inventioi'i' are to vide iiieens for operating the extensible and contractible element; to provide'meens for causing the signal to he swung in unison with the movements of the element; and to provide a signaling device of a simple, eificient and durable construction.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drewing forming at part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indi cste correspondiitlg parts in all the views, the said invention being more fullfv described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claim at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure l is a side view of au omobile with one teem signali og device embodyingmy invention applied thereto,

F 2 is a frontelevetion of the device. 3 is a detail sectional view, partly,"

entaiy and partly broken away, taken on. the lin6lll-1ll of Fig.

iis e detail sectional view, partly fragmentary, taken through the device when extensibly adjusted, and.

hlg. different form of the device.

The signaling; device has :1 casing 10 which may be of any suitable shape and size, though this casing is preferably substem tially rectangular to provide e bottom 11, top 1.2, and two spaced side wells 13 and While the forward end 15 and the reel end 16 of the casing are open,- as shown, toi'orin a passage. therethrough. One or more of the devices may be employed on an automobile or other vehicle, as l7,'one device being preferably applied on the up per edge of the door 18 of the vehicle so Yes to be convenient for use by the chenf-- four, or person operating the vehicle. The signaling; device is rigidly supported on the door by providing two brackets, es'l end 20, on the casing so as to extend in opposite leteizil directions from the lower: edge of the.

side Wells 13 and 14 of the casing, and these brackets may be secured on the door of the vehicle by 'sorevvsjbolts, or other suitable means.

In the casing 10 at. its rear open end it": is

vertically disposed supportyor her 21, end in the oential part of this bar 12 is a slot also vertically disposed to serve for guiding the movements of an extensible and contractible element, as 523. The element 23 is preferably somewhat in the form of an ordinary lazy tong, as illustrated, with the reef end, as 24:, of} one of its complemental 'members being pivoted, st 25, to the lower part of the support, or benwhile on the rear end, as 26, of the second complementel member-"of the lazy tong 15 e PTOJGCtHlg pin 27 inovably disposed through the slot 22 of the support 21. The, lazy tong is thereby connected to this support so es to'be alternately adjusted ezttensibly end contractibly is a side elevation of 2 Slightly' in the casing inwardly and outwardly in a longitudinal direction through its open forward end 15. The element, or lazy tong 23 is of a size that when collapsed it will be confined inthe easing 10for being-hidden from view, and when extensibly adjusted its opposite end will extend some distance laterally from the casing as well as laterally with respect to the door and body of the vehicle 'The rear end 26 of the second complemental member of the lazy tong is of a length to extend out of the rear opening of the casing and for some distance therebeyond.

The forward end, as 28, of the first complemental memberof the element, or lazy tong '23 is also extended, and on this extendedend is a signal, as 30, to indicate the direction which the vehicle will be guided when about to be steered from the course in which it may be traveling. The signal or hand is pivoted, at 31, to the extended end 28 of the second complemental member of the lazy tong so that the signal will be disposed in a folded or overlapping position on the lazy tong when collapsed in the casing 10. Furthermore, the signal, or hand will. by this arrangement be disposed in the casing with its fingers pointing downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, and also when the lazy tong is collapsed in the casing the rear ends 25 and 26 of'the members of the tong will be spread apart.

The lazy tong 23 with the signal 30 are normally held in collapsed, or folded position in the casing 10 for being hidden from view, and to yieldingly retain these parts in this manner, a spring 32 is provided. One end of the spring 32 is held at 33 to the upper part of the support, or bar 21 in the casing, and the other end of the spring is held, at 34:, to the rear part of the lazy tong, the tension of this spring normally acting to force the lazy tong inwardly of the casing.

In order to swing the signal 30 in the arc of a circle from a folded position on the lazy tong when contracted in the casing 10 to a position projecting outwardly in alinement with the lazy. tong when extensibly adjusted for being observed from the rear of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. l, to the rear portion of the upper part of the signal 30 is pii oted, at 35, one end of a link, or bar 36 having its other end pivoted, at 37 to part of the second member of the lazy tong which is in proximity to the forward end 28 of the first member of the tong.

Serving to allow the element, or lazy tong 23 and the signal 30 to be operated in unison for displaying the signal in emergency, I provide nmnually-operative means in the form of a handle, as 38, arranged on the endv 26 of the lazy tong which extends from the rear open end of the casing. This handle normally extends upwardly so as to be within easy reach for operation by a hand of the person steering the vehicle, or .instead of the handle 38 the signal may be set preferably by foot operative means, as 39 The foot operative means 39 consists of a rod lO having its upper end movably connected, at 41, to the end 26 of the lazy tong, and the lower end of this red is movably connected, at 4L2, to the central part of a foot pedal 43. The rod 40' and foot pedal 43 are disposed interiorly of the vehicle, and one end of the foot pedal is pivoted, as at 4 1-, so that its other end will be at an elevation as well as being adapted to be engaged by the foot of the person steering the vehicle, the rod 40 being of a length to normally hold t e pedal in this position. When the handle 33 or the pedal 43 with the rod 4-0 are directed downwardly the extending rear end 26 of thesecond member of the lazy tong will also be moved downwardly toward the rear end of the first member of the lazy tong. The lazy tong will thereby be extensibly adjusted longitudinally so that its forward end will move outwardly of the casing through its front end, and the signal 30 will be likewise guided as well as being swung in the arc of the quadrant of a circle by. the similar movement of the link 36. When the lazy tong is extended its maximum length the signal 30 will extend from the lazy tong in alinement outwardly therefrom for being. easily observed from the rear of the vehicle, and when the handle 38 or foot pedal 43 are released the tension. of the spring 32 will cause the signal 30 and the lazy tong 23 to be reversely moved in unison to collapsed positions interiorly of the casing 10. Thus a signaling device of a simple and eflicient form is provided for use on an automobile or other vehicle whereby a warning may be given to' indicate the direction in which the vehicle may be'steered when traveling in order to avoid accidentsv by permitting perspns at the rear to observe the actual course of the vehicle.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent In a signaling device, a casing, a lazy tongs having one end secured within the casing, said lazy tongs lying normally within the casing and adapted to be swung horizontally outwardly therefrom, means for swinging said lazy tongs to open position, a signal pivotally secured to the free end of a lat. link of the lazy tongs and normally 1,226,429 will resting in substantially vertical position, and

ii link independent of the lazy tongs structure having one end pivotally connected to one link of the lazy tongs and having the I other end thereof pivotally connected to the signal at a point removed some distance from the pivot point of the signal and lazy tongs, whereby the signal will be caused to swing in the are of a circle When the lazy tongs is moved to open position so as to lie in 1)..

horizontal alinement therewith. This specification signed and witnessed this fourth day of April, A. D. 1916.

JACOB WOLFSON. \Vitnesses A. WOLFSON, GEORGE F. BENTLEY. 

